Leaderboard

Just a few words to clarify our position on what we allow and don't allow in terms of criticising referees in match threads (and in general) on here, as moderating these threads is becoming a real pain in the backside. If someone says 'I think the ref got that wrong' or some (polite) variation on that theme, that's fine, it's just part of a natural discussion on any sporting contest. Trying to prevent anyone saying as much is like trying to stop the tide coming in. It's an opinion, and refs will occasionally get stuff wrong, because they are human beings, like the players who make mistakes on the pitch too, and like fans who get loads of stuff wrong all the time because they don't know the rules as well as they think they do or half as well as the referees they are criticising. Where it crosses the line for us, and what we won't allow, is when referees are accused of cheating or corruption, or where people start posting gratuitous personal insults aimed at referees. In these cases, we are more likely to remove the entire post, rather that just fillet out the referee-bashing, and possibly even bar you from posting again for a while. Please bear this in mind next time you contribute to a match thread, or any part of these forums, and it will be a much more pleasant and enlightening experience for all of us. Thank you.

Well that was a fun weekend... Regular visitors will have noticed the forum, in fact the entire site, was down over the weekend. This was due to a catastrophic system failure on the web server, which we had to get reprovisioned and then restore everything from backups. The backup is from the early hours of Friday 15th March, so you'll notice a big gap in posts between then and now. I wasted my time posting all them flippin' match threads, that's for sure!! Anyway, it's all (hopefully) working again now. It might be a bit slow for a while, as there are a few tweaks that still need to be made on the new server to get it running efficiently, but if you spot any glitches, please post the details here and I'll investigate any as they pop up. Thanks.

It’s been announced that he will play his last game for Huddersfield this Friday. What an absolute star he has been both at club and international level. I wish him well for the future.

He is a former Great Britain Rugby League captain, Great Britain team manager for 5 years and has a sports science degree. I can understand if people don't like his style of punditry but I can't see how he could be described as lacking knowledge of the sport.

So, two Grand Finals next weekend. Two French teams, one from the south of England. Remind me how expansion is impossible because the M62 is the only place this game can exist.

Batley have never been in the top division at any time that we’ve had multiple divisions. Not once. I doubt it’s been their goal for a very long time, if it ever was. So what does IMG’s role in Super League have to do with them? Anything they’ve done in the past to build their club, and its connection with its community, has never relied upon the promise of some sort of sunlit uplands in another league. It’s been about the enjoyment of today, and the building of local roots for tomorrow. It’s been about being part of the area they’re in, and doing what they do for many other positive reasons that don’t rely on some nebulous idea of needing the “benefits” of promotion. Basically Batley are the living, breathing embodiment of how there’s a genuine, sustainable, enriching, rewarding life in rugby league without doing that. They’re a standard bearer of the future model, not a critique of it. Hopefully Featherstone and others can learn the right lesson from Batley’s excellence.

Last weekend we took the opportunity to go to the Cornwall v Dewsbury match whilst on holiday in Cornwall. We really enjoyed both the occasion and the match itself. The staff were very welcoming and there was a good pre-match build up which added to the atmosphere despite a major downpour just ahead of the game. Quite a few Dewsbury fans had made the trip and similar to the locals were enjoying the pasties and Doom Bar at the Penryn RFC Memorial ground. The match itself was very competitive with top of the table Dewsbury only pulling away late in the game. In fact going into the last quarter the match was locked at 6-6 despite Cornwall having been unfortunately reduced to 11 at one point. One local fan told me he was delighted to have a local professional team to follow- and he was travelling all the way over from Plymouth for the home games. His main hope was that the venture would last the course given the fragile funding levels in the sport, but I for one wish them well.

If Union wasn’t already in trouble

I was at the meeting last night and a lot of credit has to go to those that have got us this far. People who genuinely love the sport and didn't want to lose it and are doing this while working full time. From a fan's perspective I just want to see a team on the pitch representing the north east, there will be bumps along the way but as long as we make it we have a team to watch!

"What Do We Want?" "Early Onset Dementia!" "When Do We Want It?" "What do we want?"

When I was in Perpignan two decades ago the XIII Catalan where in the small ground next to the railway station with around 600 watching them. St Esteve a bit out of town where their other them.Along came a former Catalan too by the name of Benard Guasch who had played some years earlier He wanted to make a club who could challenge the best of English sides. Today he has made more than that because his side is on the top of Super League four points head above the others. Earlier they played at Wembley on two occations in 2006 and later on 2018 winning the latter 2023 seems a special time for the SL in that ten of the sides are competitive. Leigh will play at Wembley for the first time since 1971 against Hull KR having beating Wigan and St Helens in the process The Catalans Dragons are starting to making an up serge of crowds. With the top teams has niver been a problem when they come over, Warrington, St Helens, Wigan and Hull FC all see 10,000 crowds. This year though Hull KR (9,453), Leigh (9,636), Huddersfield (9,182) and Salford (9,503) have seen major difference It seems Hull KR with better seating too are all so improving their crowds Is it time now for all the SL sides now looking up – in 2023 Leigh& Hull KR shows what can be down Guasch brought together 3 clubs in his wisdom, XIII Calalan, St. Esteve and St. Cyptien – and where it brought them

Thanks for all the work you do to create, and maintain, this wonderful online rugby league community. I really appreciate what you guys do.

Firstly, hello forum! 1st post, so go easy on me! I'm writing this as a relatively new fan to the sport and partially in response to various threads questioning the state of the game and the attractiveness of the game (or not) to new fans / casual sports fans. Although I can see the game is not in a great state currently, and the demise of a London & Newcastle this week is sad to see, I really think you have a cracking,quick,enjoyable and competitive sport which is prime for growth if pushed correctly. Has the game taken advantage of the big moments in the sport like the world cup? and I wonder what positive impact it could have to the casual / general sports fan (which I class myself as) that is often talked about on here as one of the big target markets. To put myself as the example, this time last year other than see the occasional highlight on sky sports news my only knowledge of RL was watching a couple of Rhinos games whilst at Uni there almost 20 years ago. To experience the occasion, I got tickets to the WC final and watched the tournament,by the time the final came around I was hooked. But since then I've had a steady stream of emails and ads in social media feeds especially for challenge cup / GF ticket's keeping me informed and interested and as importantly for luring in a casual sports fans - affordable ticket prices , something you can't say too often for the football,boxing & cricket matches I go to. We will be going to the grand final tomorrow and really looking forward to it, I've followed the superleague closely this year all off the back of the world cup.....I cant be the only one! I don't think the promotion of the sport is as bad as some say, but I think what it really needs to grow it most of all is a weekly terrestrial TV game. I've enjoyed the C4 coverage, but it isn't frequent enough. A weekly match would keep people engaged enough to grow the support baae Enjoy tomorrow everyone

There was great anticipation before the kick-off at Belle Vue as Wakefield took on Castleford in what for some time has looked to be the 2028 relegation decider -a repeat of the 2023 renewal - with both teams locked on the same number of points in the table – and also boasting identical IMG grading points. After some tense opening exchanges, Castleford took the lead with an early try, putting them in pole position to secure the 0.111 points on offer for whichever club finished higher in the league table… but Wakefield immediately hit back with a 0.125-point play in the form of the activation of their newly-installed LED advertising boards. The home team extended their overall lead with an unconverted try and at half time looked to have matters well in control. However, during the interval Castleford seized the initiative once again with a press release announcing that their recent “Players’ Wives – The Swimsuit Edition” feature had sent their website visits rocketing over the maximum points threshold. An early Castleford try in the second half consolidated their position, but Wakefield responded with some fine tactical play by the board of directors, who announced that the North Stand would be permanently closed with immediate effect due to safety concerns; initially this led to protests from those Wakefield fans who had to leave the ground, but despair turned to elation when they were told that the reduced ground capacity meant they were now back in front due to their boosted “Utilisation” score. In a see-saw contest, the game then took a controversial turn. Castleford fans attacked and destroyed the Belle Vue big screen, and the resulting 0.125 point loss in IMG points saw Wakefield fall behind once again. However, with only minutes left, the outcome turned on another controversial incident. Wakefield put out a tweet, later blamed on an over-enthusiastic intern media employee, stating “Tickets for the forthcoming Belle Vue Music Festival featuring @Harry_Styles and @taylorswift13 are available NOW at www.wakefieldtrinity.com”. The tweet was deleted a few minutes after the end of the game, but the Wakefield website’s visit count had soared over the maximum threshold, and the 0.5 IMG points were enough to secure their SL status and send Castleford down. "Rugby league is the winner" was the post-game verdict of both head coaches, Wakefield's Theo Paphitis and Castleford's Duncan Bannatyne.

Despite all the challenges facing a club in League 1 these days, we still manage to put some good news out. https://www.northwalescrusadersrlfc.co.uk/post/crusaders-community-development-officer-to-go-full-time

There's a post on the match thread saying "it's not our job to improve them". I think the fact that people like that still exist in the fanbase suggests that France really are up against it. On OOYL last week, they were discussing how Catalans are not involved in the vote regarding IMGs involvement. Only RFL member clubs are involved in the decision making process. So... the future of the game in Europe is being decided by Keighley and Rochdale (as per the dockhouse podcast thread on here...) and not by the Catalan Dragons, who are genuine contenders for the Super League title. I would laugh, but I can't bring myself to type the emoji. The governance of the game is beyond shambolic.

I didn't so much find the club, it found me. The same can be said by the majority of Cru fans, as the club was only formed in November 2011, after the liquidation of the old Crusaders club. Despite all the adversity we have been through over the years, we are the longest surviving semi professional club in Wales, something we are all incredibly proud of. We are now down to a small band of loyal supporters and a board who are more like magicians than directors. We don't have two pennies to rub together, and for much of this season we didn't have a home ground, and the team spirit shown by our players this year is something that money can't buy, absolutely priceless. While it would have been nice to see a few more fans there yesterday, and it would be nice to see a few more next Sunday, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else, or with anyone else.

With only 1 loss last week away at Hunslet and a draw away at Oldham, a well earned title and automatic promotion sees the Rams back into the Championship at the first attempt.

At the age of 41, Paul Sykes has reached 1,000 points for the Rams. Scored a try, kicked 4/4 goals and took MoM as Dewsbury beat Oldham 20-8 last night. He kicked 7/7, scored a try and took MoM last week as well. Over 500 appearances and 2,500 points since his debut for Bradford in 1999.

Just confirmed by The RFL, we've been accepted for 2024, great news!

There's plenty to be despondent about in the state of the game, from the declining TV revenues to the state of the international calendar. However, in spite of this, there are some really positive developments across the whole of the English/French game: Wigan - new ownership, greater collaboration with the football team, development and commercialisation of Robin Park Hull KR - impressive BoD, development of Craven Streat, ownership and future development of surrounding land Leeds - largest sponsorship deal ever signed Oldham - new ownership group, new £1m training facility asset which can be commercialised and return to Boundary Park Wakefield - new ownership and further stadium development plans Castleford - new investor and stadium development plans gaining traction Cornwall - tie up with Truro and move to new stadium Midlands - move to the new Alexander stadium Sheffield - investment and proposed move into new stadium with Sheffield FC Toulouse - new investor and plans for new purpose built stadium Catalan - stadium expansion and development plans Huddersfield - new training complex complete Keighley - stadium development Warrington - perhaps 2024 will be their year

You are right, meast. It is an excellent piece. I particularly like this paragraph: 'Tellingly, Hull FC coach Tony Smith chose to back the official over the incident, noting that “I trust each and every one of the referees and they wouldn’t send anyone off without good reason.” ' Hats off to Tony Smith for saying this.

It was bloody hard. The run up from Otley to Bramhope was pretty brutal and came at a horrible time in the race - 16 to 20 miles ish. But it was a brilliant day to be involved in and the support from the viewing public was amazing. Rhinos shirts everywhere of course but plenty of supporters from other teams running and watching - Wigan, Saints, Wire, Cas, and both Hull teams among those I spotted. There were a few logistical issues - setting down and retrieving your bags were both a nightmare - but you expect that with a new event and the positives massively outweighed the downsides. Got round in 4 hours 54, which I am very pleased with indeed.

Can they get a new coach in on loan?

England being a curtain raiser for Fev would be absolutely peak rugby league.

From midlandshurricanes.com (11/3): Midlands Hurricanes are delighted to announce that from March 2024, the club’s home fixtures will be played inside the main stadium arena at Alexander Stadium, starting with the first League One fixture against Rochdale Hornets on 17th March. For the last two years the club has been based at the Alexander Stadium campus, playing matches on the Community Pitch within the warmup infield. It has always been an aspiration of the club to move into the main stadium in the future and the club are delighted that this aspiration has come to fruition. Representatives of the club confirmed: “We look forward to calling Alexander Stadium our home venue for the foreseeable future." Moving into the main stadium is a fantastic boost for Rugby League in the Midlands and will allow the club to grow the game within the region. Speaking on the move, CEO Greg Wood said: “To call a stadium that hosted the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games our home venue shows the intent that the club has to grow. I thank our fans, the RFL and visiting clubs for their continued support, I am sure that they are as excited as we are about this announcement. In addition, we would like to thank the team at Alexander Stadium and Birmingham City Council for their efforts in making this happen." Dave Wagg, Head of Sport and Physical Activity at Birmingham City Council, said: "We are delighted that Midland Hurricanes are playing their 2024 season home fixtures at Alexander Stadium. While athletics will remain at the heart of the stadium ethos and operation, a multi-sport approach was set out as the legacy Vision Statement for the stadium following the success of the Commonwealth Games. Having the Hurricanes at Alexander Stadium supports the diversification of the site and opens up a new audience to rugby league, which is an underdeveloped sport in the Birmingham region. We hope their presence continues to attract new followers to the sport and the stadium, which in turn will lead to further opportunities for participation in a wide range of sports on offer at the site."

This is definitely going to end in Mick Gledhill posting on his twitter that he's heard Bradford have a new investor looking to pump in £10 million.

A brief update from the Bulldogs. We are running teams this year as follows: Pups (3-5 yrs), U7s, U9s, U11s, U12s, U14s, U16s, 12s girls, U14s girls and Masters RL. Today, our volunteers ran our first of three school's festivals for the Spring term, focussing on recruiting for our girls teams.

It's an interesting narrative. The biggest team in the world in the biggest market in the world gets 18k versus Samoa, and 20k versus the Kiwis and that's all cool. England gets up to 15k and it's presented as a disaster. We were all disappointed with the England series, but I'm not sure why the Pacific Final between the Aussies and Kiwis with 13k is not being criticised as the worst international this Autumn.

Workington Town have announced a sponsorship deal with Fibrus for a “significant sum”. The deal will see Derwent Park be renamed as Fibrus Community Stadium and also includes funding for the newly formed women’s team. Ties in nicely with the club’s plan to be at the heart of the local community, which was demonstrated at the recent home game against Hurricanes where Town designated it as a fundraiser for local charities and raised over £13,000 on the day. https://www.townrlfc.com/article/768/new-era-as-derwent-park-renamed-as-fibrus-community-stadium

This looks like good news: - Application to formalise participation in L1 being made. - Staying at Kingston Park - Chris Thorman continuing as head coach. https://www.totalrl.com/newcastle-thunder-latest-as-stadium-head-coach-recruitment-and-application-process-laid-bare/

I think the original post was a genuine one and obviously I don’t mind the banter between East and West of the Pennines but the subject is in fact a very serious one. There’s been a visible and measurable decline in participation right across the board, specifically in the strongholds of Yorkshire. Places like Castleford, Wakefield and Hull have seen a huge decline in Amateur Clubs and an alarming reduction in the number of teams run in the surviving Amateur clubs. Where Clubs would run teams at all age groups now it’s hit and miss with many of the age groups missing a team, for example, a club might run teams from U7s to U11s but no U12s or U14s and can only run an U15s because they’ve merged 2 teams from two different amateur clubs. At the same time there’s been a similar reduction in Schools participation with some traditionally strong schools not playing any Rugby League at all. We often talk about the TV contract and funding as the big issue in the game but no one seems to want to talk about the decline and the REAL participation numbers. It’s no good pretending that they’re OK by including the same Kid 3 times by using his/her participation at school, Amateur Club and Scholarship and pretending it’s 3 players. In terms of funding, yes include PDRL, Wheelchair, Women’s and Girls and that’s all good but boys and men’s participation is drastically down over the last decade or two and it’s reaching a critical point.

On one hand we've got players wanting contact allowed, leniency on head contact, less red/yellow cards, etc. On the other hand, on the evidence of the last 2 weeks we've got players throwing their hands in the air at any contact, play acting head contact, begging refs to make decisions, conning refs to get players binned. Refs have a ridiculously difficult time with the new rules as it is, and players are choosing to make it more difficult, while also demanding changes. Franky I'm sick of them, they want their cake, want to it gift wrapped with little bows and want to eat it. They can't have this both ways, they can't make demands of the RFL and referees whilst also cheating them at every opportunity, and this also goes for coaches. The hypocrisy is embarrassing, the last 2 matches I've watched (Salford v kr and Leeds v catalans) had this all in spades, so much play acting, pressuring refs etc. I now hope the RFL dig in and tell them to shove their demands.

Former work colleague of mine Emma Breheny ran the touchline with her youngest son Cameron today. Her eldest son Liam was the ref.

I am, I hope, an open minded chap but looking at all that has happened recently it seems to me, in stark contrast to 6-7 years ago, that the sport has decided to essentially focus solely on where SL is played (or nearby*). If one is asked - what is the game doing to support RL in the south or Cumbria, or Wales or Scotland or London, the answer is "nothing". It seems a real disconnect that IMG were bought in to help is think about the future but we end up with a future that is a (much) narrower version of the present? Is this fair? *It feels that Broncos promotion doesn't fit the narrative and the ridiculous grading criteria, particularly in respect of catchment area, means that London is unlikely to have a major presence in the sport after next year,

This is quite long but please stick with it, it means a lot to me. Yesterday I decided to go for a 15 or so mile walk to a village near me because my 5x great grandfather is buried at the village church and I had never visited before. From a neighbouring village approximately a mile away there is a 3 hourly bus service which could take me back to almost the start of my walk so I didn't have to walk back. I planned my walk to perfection, knowing how fast I walk and how long I would spend in the churchyard, so I could return to this village and catch the bus to ensure I didn't have to walk 15 miles back as well. The first thing to go wrong was that the path between the two villages had been completely flooded and there was no way through. I had got to within half a mile of my destination but had to retrace my steps and take a much longer and more hazardous route down a B-Road which added a couple of miles onto the walk and thus meant I could only spend a couple of minutes in the churchyard instead of the half hour or so I planned. I left the churchyard at pace, knowing I would probably miss my bus due to how long it had taken me to walk to alternate route so I decided to do something I've never done in my life. I decided to hitchhike. I stuck out my thumb and the first car to see me stopped. The lovely woman took me to the village with the bus without hesitation. I had thus arrived at the village half an hour early. The second thing to go wrong; when I walked to the bus stop I was greeted with a notice pinned up saying that all buses had been cancelled for 3 months due to some road works further through the village. A shuttle bus had been provided as an alternative. So I waited for the shuttle but it did not arrive, even after waiting for 20 minutes after the supposed time it was scheduled for. I asked locals about it and they said it wasn't running either. At this point I was thinking I had 15 miles to walk... I decided to walk to a different destination than my original one because this alternative place was about 10 miles away and offered a choice of buses and trains. I set off walking, demoralised, dehydrated, sunburnt and quickly running out of water in my bag. I walked about 2 miles and came across a bench in the middle of nowhere. I sat down with relief and began to go over the next 8 miles in my head in horror at the thought of having to walk it. Suddenly an elderly lady came around the corner. She was very friendly and told me she had never ever seen anyone sat on the bench before despite walking past it every single day on her daily exercise routine. This is the greatest thing someone has ever done for me. Her name was Linda and after I explained my situation she immediately rang her husband, Stuart, and told him and with that he jumped in his car and drove to the bench. He brought me a new bottle of water and offered to drive me to the town I was dreading walking to! These people are saints and I had never known anyone do anything so helpful and caring for a complete stranger. My faith in humanity was restored yesterday.

Just to quash any unnecessary rumours, Fergus has trained hard, and was a fantastic professional whilst with us, he's opted to move back closer to home for personal reasons. He never missed a training session and committed to the cause by moving to Cumbria, he has been a model professional and is well thought of and will always be welcome at WTRLFC. We wish him all the best for the future. Graeme Director Workington Town RLFC

Just out walking the dog and at the cashpoint machine English guy in front of me asked me what breed it was etc told him American Staffordshire Bull Terrior he said isn't that illegal i said no he is a lovely gentle dog all down to the owners i even take him to rugby league matches in France sometimes he replied do you watch union i do my reply i would rather watch paint dry. Now sitting down in the cafe for my coffee and i thought i know his face then it clicked Billy Beaumont LOL who has a holiday home nearby. Anyway that's kicked my day off in a nice way League 1 Union NIL

I don't think a reasonable person can watch that replay and come to that assessment I'm afraid.

In response to many comments on here, I feel it's now time to comment. Firstly, I'd like to congratulate our coach, our DOR and the staff who work within our set up who have steered us through the tough first 1/4 of the season. Today was a good performance and I feel a stronger win than the score suggests. We have been challenged, come up short on occasion and also excelled too. There is much to be very positive about this season as it develops. As a club, we strive to involve the whole local community. Someone asked on this thread, Is this the type of club we've become? We have become one that has opened it's arms to the community, and one that wants all people connected to be part of sustainable change and improvement. At the home fixture v Oldham, a long standing supporter was asked to move his flag to an area over the popular side perimeter fencing that does not obscure the view of a sponsors boards. For me a very reasonable request, and a request that I'd expect to be met with a reasonable response. These requests have been met with uncooperative responses and even when club Ground safety officers have approached said 'supporter' we have been met with a completely unacceptable response. Factually I'd like to make all aware that since my involvement with the club (6yrs) that this has happened each year. Directors have asked directly for him to not do this. A supporter, who I'm aware has been a huge supporter and done many things to help over the years simply has chosen to not comply with requests. I have spoken and had private messaged the person in question, and must say, I have enjoyed good dialogue, so for this to keep recurring is frustrating and disappointing in each equal measure. I compare this simply with this: If I go into a pub and consistently refuse to adhere to the landlords requests I would expect to be asked to leave or be asked not to return. What is the difference? I am involved directly with attaining and retaining sponsors and now as Chairman, I'm responsible for leading this club forward, to evolve and develop. Hindering this progress does not sit well with me, it is a very challenging time, trust me I know how hard it is to get new sponsors and also how important it is to retain our current ones. I also know how difficult it is to find ground safety officers, trust me this essential role is absolutely vital to any game going ahead at any sports ground, so to have a very unhappy GSO puts some clarity on the response and respect given to our staff member. If any of the posters on this thread would like to discuss the issue, please don't hide behind your forum name, contact me and we will discuss this and any other point you'd like to talk about. I think I'm approachable, fair and listen to our fans. So my email is graemepeerstownrlfc@gmail.com I look forward to hearing from you. The decision by our board wasn't made easily, but as for every decision made, we make it with the best overall interests of Workington Town RLFC at the top of that decision making process. Please enjoy the win, we deserved it and any comments / discussion you can contact me. Graeme Chairman Workington Town RLFC UTT

On the general point I think RL does well with its women pundits and presenters and for me they are usually a breath of fresh air. We have a good bunch. I think Danika Priim is as good as anyone and significantly better than most. Jenna Brooks always comes across as really knowledgable and asks all the right questions. Although less seen the likes of Jodie Cunningham and Lois Forsell always speak well. Helen Skelton presents the sports really well. I think Tanya Arnold was also good too and unfairly criticised.

It is an appalling system, the main beneficiary being the parent club, they can send players across for one or two games at the expense of the guys who have trained week in week out for the host club, unlike a proper loan arrangement where a player would come for a few weeks or ideally a whole season. It is a system that is open to abuse and should never have been introduced in the way it is at all. I disagreed with it when we did it and I am of the same opinion now.

To the best of my memory 20+ years on: McLaren Field was sold in 1995. I assume either 'too good to refuse' or through financial necessity. We played at Headingley Rugby Union's Clarence Field (now Rhino's training facility) for a season before sharing at Headingley for two. Both being outside West Leeds didn't help. The fact that Clarence Field was a park and clubhouse with no stands, etc meant crowds fell and when we ended up at Headingley a lot of people decided they might as well watch Leeds instead. The club resigned from the league after 1999 with the intention of keeping the Bramley name but effectively becoming Rhino's reserves - I'm not sure what competition that was supposed to be in. When that fell through we tried to re-enter the league, but were told that the grounds we proposed (Throstle Nest, Farsley and Morley RU) were not up to standard - I assume Clarence Field had only been accepted previously for a single season as an emergency stopgap. We retained full RFL membership for a number of years, without playing in any competition, in the hope that a solution could be found. The Bramley Buffaloes were formed by some fans in 2001 and applied to enter the pro-hierarchy but were refused and entered National League 3 instead - amateur but with the stated intention that it may eventually be a route for clubs to enter the pro-divisions. They were regularly league leaders in that competition and won the play-offs a couple of times but promotion of NL3 clubs never materialised. To me there was little attraction to the Buffaloes, although I appreciate recreational RL, my love was in standing on terraces with decentish crowds following a team with a heritage steeped in RL's (semi-)pro culture (rather than on the grass around the perimeter of a field). Without a ground like McLaren Field, the Buffaloes were never going to be that. Once it became clear that NL3 was not going to be a route back to full RFL membership and competition and that they were going to just be a recreational club playing out of other local community clubs'/RU clubs' rented grounds, the drive behind that club disappeared and they now seem to be reasonably happy as a lower level Yorkshire League club.

Too early to make a MC Hammer joke?

Noticed in recent weeks that IMG appear to have been putting players out there. On twitter I noticed George Williams thanking IMG for a trip to Wimbledon during the tennis. We also saw some of the Wheelchair WC winners in the royal box (although don't think that was down to IMG). I also saw that a few Wire players thanked IMG for getting them a trip to the Open, and have just watched Ratchford, Ashton and Matautia appear in a feature on the golf coverage on Sky this morning. It was a decent piece that treated the players like stars, and then promoted next week's games Is this them quietly going about their business and getting the game and players into places it maybe wouldn't normally he seen?

Horo left Catalans 6 years ago, I don't think that culture has existed there for a number of years. It might exist at other clubs in SL but the Dragons are a pretty focused group, thanks to McNamara and certain English players they signed.

With the very sad news of Tina Turner passing at 83, it is worth looking back on the very best Rugby League promotion.

Bousquet, Da Costa, Garcia, Yaha, Fages. If those players alone were available today things would’ve been far closer and competitive. If anything today just exposed France’s depth and proved the need for 2 French clubs in Super League. Persevere